Shock absorber



Jan, 2s, 193o.

s. SMITH 1,745,033

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Jah. 9, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 28, 1930. s,sMlTH 1,745,033

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Jan. 9, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 L1' @www PatentedJan. 28, 1930 PATENT ori-rcs SHEFFIELD SMITH, OF NORTH PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND SHOCK ABSORBEN Application led. January 9, 1928.

My invention relates.' to shock absorbers adapted for use upon vehicleslof ally kinds.v

The essential objects offmy invention are to efliciently cush-ion andshock in both an ups ward and downward direction; to gradually intensifythe degree of resistance to the shock as the body and axle of thevehicle approach the limits'of'their travel towards or from each other;to extensively distribute the shock oc- 1e casioned by any roadinequality and completely absorb the same; toA maintain the constituentparts under continuous tension; to combine a maximum of strength with aminimum of weight; to conserve space; and at- 15 tain these ends inasimple and inexpensive structure.v

To the above ends essentially my invention consists in such parts and insuch combinations of parts as fall wit-hin the scope of the 20 appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawings whichform a part of this specification fFigure 1 is a perspectiveview of my device applied to a vehicle, Figure2, a fragmentary front view' of my device with the front of the casingremoved showing the parts in neutral position, Figure 3, a similar viewof the same showing the portions of the parts in one extreme of theirtravel, and Y Figure 4, a transverse section taken on line of Figure 2.y Like reference characters indicate likek Vpats throughout the views.

S, frame and axle of a vehicle of any usual or preferred form, and 9 any.usualvehicle spring associated with the axle and. frame. My device,which is capable of attachment to the described or other vehicle,comprises relatively movable members or parts 13 and 14. The former isassociated with the frame, and the latter, with the axle or vehiclespring,

As herein shown the member 13 is a casting in the form of an oblongcasing 15 comprising a back 16, sides 17, ends 18, and a detachablefront 19 attached in this Vinstance by screws 2O entering threadedopenings 21 in the ends and sides respectively. Bolts or screws 23extending through transverse holes nn in) herein shown 7 and @designatethev serial' No. erases.v

251 in the top ofthe casing fix the latter to the frame'7`. The sides 17have offset rectangular intermediate portions vorextensicns 27 parallelwith each other, and tapering portions 28 above and bel-ow theintermediate portions, embodying internal inclined, converging, bearingfaces 29. The ends31 of the extensions 27 are of greater thickness thanthe remainder of the sides and are provided with oppositely disposedinclined, vertical cavities 33, each pair ofy cavities open into anoblong recess 35 in the side wal-l, and form resultant oppositelydisposed internal abutment pro-y jections or partitions 37 whoseinterior faces 38 form a continuation of the faces .29. Arched springs40, directedy towards the center of the casing, and extending beyond thevertical plane of the projections 37, have terf mina]v looped portions42 slidably seated in the cavities 33. Thev described springs cooperatewith the movable member14.V

The 1nember'14 is embodied in a plunger'44` extending loosely through anopening 45 in the lower end of the casing' and includes a head' 46 uponits upper end. The plunger, in 75 this instance, is supported by theaxle 8 to which isfixed by clevises or straps 43 a lateral extension 49,adjacent the saddle block'5() of the spring' 9. As'herein shown a ball52. upon the lower end of the plunger' is loosely seated in asemispherical socket plate 53 provided with a hole 54 to loosely receivethe plungeigand attached to the extension 49 by screws 55. The describedsupport and attachment of the plunger is not exclusive. The sidesof thehead 46 are concaved to receive the intermediateportions of longitudinnally curved flat springs 57 which are'fixedl to the head by atransverse pin or double headed rivet 59 and yproject above and belowthe head 46. The vertically disposed strips 57, because of'theirlarcuate outline form outwardly directedl or diverging arms or endportions l61, contacting with the inner portions of the bearing faces 29of the casingv when the plunger is in neutral position, as shown inFigure 2, and have terminal loops Vor ret-urn bends 62 forming resultantin-` wardly directed converging fingers 63, whose bent extrem-ities' 64arenormally .preferably 1GO spaced apart. The lower loops 62 at theirextremities embrace the shank of the plunger 14. The radii of the springstrips 57 are less than those of the springs 40 when the parts are inneutral position.

In operation, when a severe shock is imparted to the axle because of theinequality of the road, or when a sharp recoil of the frame towards theaxle occurs, the plunger head 46 has a tendency to move upwardly ordownwardly from its neutral central position relatively to the casing.These reciprocations in either direction are cushioned, and t-lie shocksof the blows and recoils are absoi'bed, thus. In Figure 3 the plunger isshown, for illustrative purposes, at an extreme elevated positionrelatively to the casing, an extreme which would seldom or ever bereached. In the movement of the head 46 from neutral position the upperends of the members 57 as they slide along the converging bearing faces29 meet progressively increasing resistance, and the terminal poi'-tions 64 of the spring loops 62, under more excessive strain, contactwith each other and thus contribute further resistance to the advance ofthe head. Meanwhile yielding resistance to the advance of the plungerhas been constantly exercised since the inception of its movement. Thisis because the aiched springs 4() are in the path of the lower divergingends of the members 5'?, and thus afford a gradually increasing yieldingresistance to the latter in their passage over the former. Thisresistance is amplified by the complementary progressively increasingresistance afforded by the gradual compression of the lower loops 62.There is thus no positive stop throughout the described movement tooccasion fracture of any part. An extreme opposite position of theplunger relatively to the casing is shown in broken lines in Figure 3,and the operation of the parts in reaching such position from theneutral position is the same, except as to vertical direction, as thatalready described.

I claim l. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, a casingcomprising two set-s of inclined walls extending in opposite directions,a plunger, a pair of springs upon the plunger for .sliding engagementwith the walls, and a pair of springs supported by the walls m the pathof the springs.

2. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, a casing comprisingoppositely disposed i n clined walls, a plunger, longitudinally disposedlaterally diverging springs upon the plunger adapted to engage thewalls, and arched springs supported by the walls in the path of thediverging springs.

3. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, side walls comprisingparallel intermediate portions and converging end portions, saidintermediate portions being provided with spaced cavities, an archedspring slidably seated in the cavities, a reciprocable plunger movablebetween the walls, and springs carried by the plunger engageable withthe converging portions of the walls and with the arched springs.

4. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, side Walls comprisingintermediate portions, and two sets of inclined end portions, springs inthe intermediate portions, a plunger movable between the walls, springsupon the plunger adapted to simultaneously engage the first springs andone set of the inclined portions of the walls.

5. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, side walls comprisingintermediate portions and converging end portions, inwardly directedarched springs vertically disposed upon the intermediate portions of thewalls, a plunger in the casing movable between the spi'ings and theconverging portions of the walls, two oppositely disposed outwardlyextending arcuate springs ixed at intermediate portions to the plungeradapted to engage the first mentioned springs and the converging wallportions, and inwardly directed coiiipressible loops integral with bothends of the second mentioned springs.

6. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, a fixed casing comprisingside walls, intertermediate portions and converging end portions, aplunger, longitudinally-disposed laterally-diverging springs upon theplunger adapted to engage the end portions of said casing, andfrictional means projecting inwardly from the intermediate portions ofsaid lixed casing into the path of the springs and in .contact therewithfor compressing the springs.

7. In a shock absorber of the type set forth, side walls comprisingintermediate portions and two sets of converging end portions, theconvergence of one set being disposed oppositely to that of the otherset, a plunger, longitudinally-disposed laterally divergent inherentlyresilient means fixed intermediate the length thereof to the plunger andadapted to engage the end portions, and inwardlydirected resisting meansupon the intermediate portions of the side walls iii the path of theends of the said resilient means.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

SHEFFIELD SMITH.

